Cursed

Alex sat at the table, picking through his food absentmindedly as his parents talked about how they were going to be moving. He didn’t like it at his school, but he didn’t want to be uprooted in the middle of the school year.

He wasn’t going to fight them about it, though, since they rarely listened to his opinions. Instead, he went to school the next morning, filling the teachers in on the news that he would be moving.

He returned the school’s computer, and he made sure he didn’t have anything the school could come after him for.

“Look at Alex,” Isabel sneers. “He looks extra gay today. Hey, Allie, when are you going to come out of the closet? We all know you’re in love with men.” She and her squad snicker before shoving past Alex.

Some of the other kids in the hallway snicker as Alex is shoved to the ground. His papers from his two years of torture scattering everywhere.

He glared at his attackers, gathering his papers before climbing to his feet and bumping into one of the jocks. The guy turned around and raised an eyebrow, shoving him.

“Watch where you’re going, faggot.”

Alex felt tears coming to his eyes. But he kept them in, men don’t cry. Instead he walked past the jock, and the group of football players started laughing.

Alex had tried out for the team, but he was rejected because of his build. The coach said he would be destroyed on the field, and he needed to settle for something more suited to his body. Like swimming.

Alex didn’t miss the joke about his sexuality. He was one of the few kids at the high school who was comfortable with being bisexual.

Though he hadn’t said anything about it, kids teased him, and his red face made it obvious that they weren’t wrong. Not completely, at least.

For a while he had debated with himself whether or not he was actually into boys the way he was into girls, but then he developed a crush on one of the soft boys here.

He had a girlfriend, but Alex figured it didn’t hurt to have a crush. As long as he didn’t do anything, it would be okay. He also didn’t tell anyone, not even his parents.

It was a secret, one only he knew. “Hey, faggot,” Someone bumped into him as he walked into class, and the teacher looked up and raised her eyebrow.

Alex sat at his desk awkwardly, wishing the school day would just end. He couldn’t wait to kiss this place goodbye. At lunch he sat alone, wishing someone would’ve tried to be his friend over his two year stay here.

He had ended up all alone, like always, and nobody noticed. When the day finally came to an end, he was waiting by the flag pole for his mom.

The most popular jock came over to him, Jace Hoskins, and smirked. “Waiting for your mommy or something?”

Alex looked up at him, and turned to watch the road.

“Hey, dude, we’re gonna miss you.” Jace said, his hands in his letterman jacket. “Even though you’re quiet, you’re pretty cool.”

“Cool to pick on.” Alex finally mumbles. He was never one to talk, and he’d much rather watch other people than be the one being watched.

“Well, that, too.” Jace sighs. His cologne smells good, and Alex almost fell for his kindness. “But we’re actually gonna miss you. You’re not coming back, are you?”

Alex shakes his head, wishing his mom would hurry up. What if she wasn’t even on her way, and he had to deal with Jace for another however long it’d take?

“Damn.” Jace sighs again, and Alex turns over to him.

“Why are you talking to me?”

“I didn’t want you to leave thinking this school hated you. You might be gay or whatever, but you’re smart. You’re one smart guy, Alex, you’ll do good things with your life. Kill me if you don’t.”

Alex eyes the tall boy next to him. They were both sixteen, but Jace was at least six foot already. Alex was taking forever to grow, but his mom assured him it would happen.

“Do you mean it?”

Jace smiles, a dimple appearing. “Hell, why not? If you don’t get famous or whatever, and you end up in jail or something, may God strike me down. Or you. Whoever’s on the loose.”

Alex smiled. He didn’t really believe in God, he didn’t know what he believed in, but he didn’t think Jace would actually end up dead if he didn’t amount to something great.

“Did you like anyone here?” Jace asks, and Alex shakes his head.

Crushes wouldn’t matter at his new school, so he would leave this hellhole behind. Jace was silent, and it felt like an eternity had passed between the two of them before Alex turned back to Jace.

“I think you’ve said it all, now.”

“I know.” Jace replies, staring down the road, watching the cars. He drove, and his friends were standing by the door, waiting for him.

“Well?”

“Alex, look at me.” Alex already had been, but he met Jace’s hazel eyes. They were beautiful, and Alex felt butterflies. “We’re gonna miss you.” Jace repeats, grabbing Alex’s face and kissing him.

Alex was surprised, pulling away before he could embarrass himself in front of everyone. Jace’s friends start laughing, and he does, too.

“You really think we’ll miss you?” Jace laughs. “Why would we miss a faggot? Have fun at your new school, Alex, make out with a girl for me, for once.” He claps Alex on the shoulder, and Alex stares at the ground.

A car appears in front of him, and he looks up to see his mom. She smiles. “Hey, honey, how was your day?”

Alex climbs in the car, shoving his bag onto the floor and buckling up before curling up in his seat and staring out the window.

His mom got into the line to leave, and Alex spotted Jace and his friends. Someone pointed him out, and Jace’s friend Brandon began humping the car, laughing and shouting to Alex asking if he enjoyed the show.

He proceeded to make a jerk off motion, pointing to Alex and laughing. Alex sunk lower into the seat, tuning out of the world.

The girls were with them, why would they act like that? That was absolutely disgusting. When Alex got home, he went upstairs, packing his stuff and helping his parents load the car.

“I’m so excited to move!” His mom exclaimed on their way to the new house. It was in another town, so hopefully Alex would be able to make a new name for himself.

They order pizza for dinner, sitting around the living room floor with a board game in front of them. Alex’s dad was taking forever to move his pawn, and Alex’s mom had painted her nails when it was the boys’ turn to move.

“Well, Alex, how was your last day of school? Try to remember every little detail, that’s a significant memory.”

Alex shrugged, watching his dad peel the crust off his pizza and eat it. “It was good, I guess.” Alex hadn’t wanted to kiss Jace. He didn’t even kiss him back, does that still count as a first kiss?

“Anything eventful happen? Were kids nice to you? Sad to see you go?”

Alex shrugs again. “Not necessarily sad, but they said they’d miss me. I don’t think they meant it, though.”

“Oh, Alex,” His mom frowns. “You’re a good kid, don’t let others get you down. You don’t deserve that.”

Alex shrugs, and his dad finally finishes his turn. Alex takes his, and his mom goes next. Alex wins, but he doesn’t feel like celebrating.

Instead, he goes to his room and sits on the bed, looking around his new bedroom. He hadn’t been prepared to come into a whole new house the way he did, he didn’t even get to tour it, he was just brought here.

He stood up, walking over to the window. A balcony was attached to the place just beneath it, and he saw a door covered by a bookshelf. He moved it, opening the door and being surprised when it actually moved.

He stepped outside, the balcony feeling stable under his weight. He walked to the edge of the railing and looked out over the fields of corn. It was his new neighbors cornfield, but it was a pretty view.

He looked out over the street before hearing the balcony door close behind him. His mom’s footsteps padded softly over to him, and she stood next to him staring out into the night.

“I used to love watching the world at night,” She said softly. “Everything was calm and still, and you could take a moment to really enjoy life.” She sounded peaceful, and Alex smiled.

“You know, now’s a good time to tell me what happened at school today. You were upset in the car.”

“Nothing,” Alex lied. Nothing serious, not to him, anyway.

“Alex,” His mom was eerily calm. “Honey, I know something’s bothering you, and it happened at school. Could you at least give me an idea?”

“I got bullied.”

“Well, you say you get bullied every day, but none of it made you behave the way you did in the car.”

“I was kissed.”

“Ooh, how exciting!” His mom exclaimed, not realizing he wasn’t excited.

“It was by a jock. He was making fun of me.”

“For what?”

“Everyone says I’m gay. I’m not.” Alex wasn’t ready to tell his mom, now definitely wasn’t a good time.

“Well, you just have to ignore them,” his mom pauses. “They don’t know you, not the way you do. You know what’s true and what isn’t, don’t let their opinions get to you.”

“I know.” Alex sighed, turning around and heading back inside. His mom soon followed, telling him goodnight and heading to her own room.

Alex looked around the room again, deciding that he should begin unpacking. He walked over to his closet and opened the doors, skimming the walls and mentally measuring what he could put in it.

He brought his clothes over and began to hang them up. A hanger fell, and he bent over to pick it up before he saw something peeking out from between the carpet and wall.

He reached for it, picking at it before getting a grip on it and managing to pull it up. It was a Joker card, from a deck of cards.

He sat back and observed it. It was in oddly good condition, despite looking like it had been there for years. He looked around the closet floor, peeling back the carpet and hoping to find more.

He didn’t. Instead, he chose to pocket the one he found for good luck; he’d have to ask his parents about it tomorrow.

He quickly became tired, deciding he could finish the closet tomorrow. He lay on his bed, holding the card up to the light.

It looked like it had been signed, but the signature was smudged and illegible. Alex held the card to his chest, glancing over at his alarm clock.

He was going to start school with everyone else on Monday of next week, so it gave him some time to unpack most of his things, if not all.

He didn’t feel tired, he just didn’t feel like doing anything. If only he had friends, someone to call and talk to while he settled into his new house.

The card was a shocking find, but it was something to talk about when he tried to make new friends. He knew his parents were asleep, they had gone to bed a while ago.

But he felt so alone. He eventually rolled onto his side, setting the card on the table. It was just a playing card, it had no meaning.

Other than it was almost never used, who used Joker cards anyway? But for some reason, he felt connected to it. It seemed to be alive, as if there were some energy calling to him.

Maybe there was, or maybe his imagination was running wild because he had no one to talk to. He had run away with his imagination thousands of times, sometimes escaping into his mind to calm his realities.

He closed his eyes, and the card was all he saw, with the glowing J and the eyes of the joker glowing. He rolled over, the picture disappearing and sleep coming peacefully over him.

The card would bring him good luck and hopefully it would help him make new friends. Maybe he’d be able to ask around and find out if anyone’s heard anything about where it might’ve come from.

In Alex’s dream, he was at a new school, but it wasn’t the one he was actually going to. Instead, it was a school with clowns, and he couldn’t shake the eerie smiles out of his head when he woke up.

They had been watching him. Something or someone was watching him sleep. He sat up, scanning his room and finding nothing had changed.

Except for the card he had laid on his table. It had been laid down face down, Alex had remembered because he couldn’t get the face out of his mind.

But now the card lay face up. Maybe his mom had come in to see it. Maybe she was curious and didn’t leave it the way she found it.

Only, his parents were still asleep. He could hear his dad snoring in the other room. Maybe he was hallucinating, or maybe he had forgotten, but he was certain he had put it face-down. Strange.